TV crew create ‘no cellphones’ lane on US pavement

Many pedestrians ignored the lanes, while others photographed the stencils on their mobile phones (Picture: AP)

A TV crew has created a ‘no cellphones’ lane on a US pavement in order to study pedestrians’ reactions.

The National Geographic team divided a Washington, DC, pavement into two lanes – ‘cellphones’ and ‘no cellphones’ – as part of a behavioural science experiment for new series ‘Mind Over Masses’.

Fox News reported that only a minority of pedestrians changed their course after spotting the markings while – somewhat ironically – other pedestrians took out their mobile phones to take pictures of the sign marked ‘no cellphones’.

People who were using their phones were generally so engrossed in their devices they failed to notice the markings, while people smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes felt they qualified for the phone lane.

One pedestrian, 54-year-old secretary Irene Fadakar, admitted to Fox News that she heeded the markings but after a block was back on her phone walking in the ‘no cellphones’ lane.

The conclusions of the stunt won’t be available until the programme airs later this year, which is described as ‘a new science show that uses what we know about human behaviour to create fun and interactive solutions to everyday problems’, according to the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development website.